New Bern, chicken industry host food writers

By Sue Book, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 04:36 PM.

Food, restaurant and nutrition writers from across the country joined poultry producers and industry professionals in New Bern and Kinston several days this week to see, taste and hear what chicken can do for the world.

The National Chicken Council sponsored the Chicken Media Summit, which began Wednesday with a chicken dinner at the N.C. History Center.

Thursday, summit participants, including professionals from publications and outlets like The New York Times, Miami Herald, Bloomberg News, Better Homes and Gardens and Family Circle, toured Sanderson Farms and processing plant and were entertained at The Birthplace of Pepsi store.

During the opening dinner, the writers were presented with highlights of a new study, “Enriching People’s Lives: A 2013 Report on the Importance of Animal Source Foods.”

The presentation was made by William Weldon, vice president of global research and development for Elanco Animal Health, and Susan Finn, president and CEO of American Council for Fitness and Nutrition and past president of the American Dietetic Association.

They said the study shows that more animal source foods are critical in developing countries for brain and muscle development and disease prevention and, in developed countries where obesity is a concern, provide a healthy alternative to less nutritious foods.

An egg is actually a “small power pack of protein,” she said. And with just 70 calories, it is an inexpensive and wonderful nutrition source that could help developing countries dramatically by adding nutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins A, D and B12, which are often missing in the diets of malnourished people.

Food, restaurant and nutrition writers from across the country joined poultry producers and industry professionals in New Bern and Kinston several days this week to see, taste and hear what chicken can do for the world.

The National Chicken Council sponsored the Chicken Media Summit, which began Wednesday with a chicken dinner at the N.C. History Center.

Thursday, summit participants, including professionals from publications and outlets like The New York Times, Miami Herald, Bloomberg News, Better Homes and Gardens and Family Circle, toured Sanderson Farms and processing plant and were entertained at The Birthplace of Pepsi store.

During the opening dinner, the writers were presented with highlights of a new study, “Enriching People’s Lives: A 2013 Report on the Importance of Animal Source Foods.”

The presentation was made by William Weldon, vice president of global research and development for Elanco Animal Health, and Susan Finn, president and CEO of American Council for Fitness and Nutrition and past president of the American Dietetic Association.

They said the study shows that more animal source foods are critical in developing countries for brain and muscle development and disease prevention and, in developed countries where obesity is a concern, provide a healthy alternative to less nutritious foods.

An egg is actually a “small power pack of protein,” she said. And with just 70 calories, it is an inexpensive and wonderful nutrition source that could help developing countries dramatically by adding nutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins A, D and B12, which are often missing in the diets of malnourished people.

The chicken industry also has a large economic impact on the state of North Carolina, which was the fourth largest broiler producing state in the country in 2010, according to the National Chicken Council. The state also produced 11 percent of the country’s eggs, with all poultry products contributing a total value of $2.5 billion to the state’s economy.

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5665 or sue.book@newbernsj.com. Follow her on Twitter@SueJBook.